One thousand journalists and activists marched yesterday in Manila to protest the massacre in the southern Philippines of 57 civilians, including at least 30 journalists and their staff in the world’s deadliest attack on the media.
Clad mostly in black shirts and carrying a black mock coffin as well as placards calling for a stop to media killings, they demanded the arrest of all suspects in the Nov. 23 massacre in Maguindanao province.
The massacre victims were in a convoy to cover a local politician’s filing of his intention to run for governor in the predominantly Muslim province when dozens of gunmen abducted and then butchered them on a nearby hill and buried them in mass graves.
The candidate’s wife and sisters were among the dead.
The carnage drew worldwide condemnation, including from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. It has also highlighted the violent factionalism that plagues the volatile region — and the deadly risks journalists take in covering it.
Media watchdogs said it was the world’s deadliest single assault on journalists.
The protesters marched to a bridge near the presidential palace.
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s spokesman Cerge Remonde, a former radio broadcaster, walked over to the protesters, whose path was blocked by barbed wires and police, to assure them the government was doing everything to give justice to all the victims.
Meanwhile, Philippine police raided a house searching for guns yesterday in the southern city where 57 people were massacred last week.
Chief Superintendent Josefino Cataluna, a regional police chief, said the raid was conducted at the house of a police officer in Cotabato City, 960km south of Manila.
Cataluna said the officer was a suspect in the massacre in Ampatuan town in nearby Maguindanao province.
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